By justchickenfeed | Leave A Comment
Anyone who knows me well knows that I am cheap, penny-pinching, tightwad miser. I love getting a great deal and knowing that I have saved our family money. But over the years, I have actually cost our family money by buying cheap items that broke down and needed to be replaced far too soon. This is a completely subjective list, but these are the items that I buy based on value not just on price.
Small Appliances- After burning through four blenders in one year, I finally realized that a heavy-duty, albeit expensive, Vita-Mix was a good investment for our family. Of course, receiving one as a Christmas present was an even better decision! Check online reviews, and look for appliances with warranties.
Garden Hoses & Nozzles- Cheap hoses and nozzles tend to break very easily. But a high-quality hose and nozzle will last for years.
Mattresses- We researched mattresses for several months, and saved up the money to buy a highly-recommended memory foam mattress nearly two years ago. That one purchase ranks as one of the best investments we have ever made. My husband’s back pain has nearly disappeared, my pregnancy nights are bearable and we both sleep much more peacefully.
Cloth Diapers- Cheap cloth diapers are rarely worth the saved expense. I have found some excellent deals on quality cloth diapers on Craigslist and DiaperSwappers. I never buy diapers until I check the reviews on DiaperPin.
Toilet Paper- Perhaps this is just a personal preference, but I just can’t justify buying sandpaper when I there are so many coupons for the good stuff. Combine coupons with sales or CVS savings and you’ll never have to be uncomfortable again!
Eyeglasses- I don’t wear them, but my husband does and every time he has bought the low end glasses, he has been incredibly frustrated with their fit and long-term wear. A better option would be to wait until the high-quality glasses are on sale. Use a pre-tax flexible spending account for additional savings.
Remember that just because you decide to buy a higher quality item, it does not mean you necessarily have to pay full price. Look for items on sale, at outlets, on Craigslist, Ebay, Freecycle or at yard sales.
On which items do you choose quality over price? Share yours in our comment section below.
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Bedding…this happened to me recently – thought I got a good deal on a sheet/comforter set. First time I washed the sheets before even using them and the fitted sheet tore. The cheap feel of the sheets was horrible! Each time I reached to pull up the sheet I thought I might end up tearing it. Within a short time I got rid of (donated) the sheet set.
Gifts to other people…Let me qualify that – I think it’s great if you find a good quality item on sale for someone – that’s frugal. But if you buy some cheapo toys or a shirt that is cheap and cheap quality, that’s not being frugal that’s being cheap. Some dollar store items are fine and I love shopping there – but that is not usually the place to find items that are going to last long – so be careful. It might seem frugal to you – but when Danny gets the new toy for his birthday and it falls apart the first time he uses it – you’ll look cheap!
Backpacks for the kids. My kids are 10 and 11 and backpacks get a lot of abuse. Cheap ones that were cute in elementary school just don’t cut it. I hate having to hunt around to buy a replacement in the middle of the school year.
Coffee! The cheap stuff just isn’t good motivation to get out of bed in the morning. My sweet coffee fanatic hubby recently picked up a bag of Aldi coffee, thinking he’d sacrifice. Whoa! I promptly picked up a bag of Starbucks for him. As soon as we’re out of debt, I’m buying only Peet’s Coffee!
Bedding and towels: nothing better than fluffy towels and smooth, soft sheets! wait for the sales and check the clearance and outlet depts!
Kids shoes: any shoes actually! my kids usually only wear one or two pair consistently so I tend to buy them quality shoes that will last and not start them off with blisters. pretty much do the same for myself unless I need something for a special occasion. again, shop the sales and the outlets!
t-shirts and polo shirts; i hate nothing more than a t-shirt washed maybe two times that don’t look like a t-shirt anymore.
I am going to disagree with the glasses bit of the article…I bought some pretty expensive ones from a major Lens store that happens to “craft” lenses…and the frames are great but I’m not sure the lenses are right…they’re just a bit off. I took the same prescription their doctor gave me and ordered from Zennioptical.com and bought sunglasses from them. Total cost including shipping was around $17.00, and that includes anti-scratch coating, UV protection, a case and a cloth. If I could I’d wear the sunglasses more than the expensive ones. They got the prescription perfect and they’re great. Heck for $17 who cares if they break…but I’ve had my sunglasses for months and no problems.
Toys. I cannot count the number of tantrums my kids have had from breaking cheap, plastic, and sometimes unsafe toys from various Dollar Store type stores. Spend less on toys by buying less toys, not by buying MORE cheap disposable ones.
I agree with the towel remark. Cheap towels just don’t last and pill up. Home Goods is a great place to get nice towels at a good price.
Also, thank you for this article. I am currently a little over 6 month pregnant with our first and am looking into cloth diapers. Both for frugal and environmental reasons. I checked out the sites you recommended and made a purchase. I was having a hard time because none of my friends use cloth diapers so I didn’t have any feedback on good and bad ones. This was a HUGE help, thank you!
Great article! I TOTALLY agree with your points. I definitely agree on the cloth diapers. If you plan to diaper more than one baby in cloth, it is such a better investment to buy the kind you like brand new, take good care of them, and store them wisely for the next child. I spent way too much money buying heavily used diapers online and they only lasted for one child.
Great tips!
Shoes.
Every time I buy a cheap pair of shoes, I regret it because they make my feet stink, or hurt. Or stink AND hurt. Which really stinks!
I always buy higher quality clothes, especially shoes, although not necessarily for a certain brand name. Some companies just produce better clothes. The stitching is stronger, the fabric weave is tighter and the clothes will last longer and look better longer as well. This is especially important for people with body image issues. A little structure in those clothes can go a long way to making someone look fabulous!! As for shoes; our feet affect so much of what we do. If you are walking on shoes that don’t fit quite right or rub something wrong, it will affect how you feel, act and can contribute to back and knee pain. It’s worth it to spend a little more to have thing last longer and not hurt your body!!
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I live eco-friendly and very natural so my frugal is a bit different than most. My husband and I eat almost totally organic but I do print coupons and look for deals when buying our food but I can’t just got “oh this mac & cheese is on sale” but if one brand of organic food is on sale I get it. Anyway I shop around and I say I’m frugal but I’m sure to get eco-friendly and healthy products so I think some super frugal people would be sick to see me buying things. But it evens out for me.
I found a great prescription discount card at http://www.rxdrugcard.com. Let me give you an example of the savings. I’ve seen ads on TV for Caduet. It has two ingredients. One is Amlodipine and the other is Atorvastatin. With my RxDrugCard I can get 30 tablets of Amlodipine for $9 and 30 tablets of Simvastatin for $9. I’ll bet they are charging more than $18 for this new drug! I think that RxDrugCard.com is the best drug card available for prescription discounts. The monthly family membership fee is only $4.95! You can’t beat that!